Loading Love
by lazily-here
Summary: A girl without a backbone; a boy without a heart. Searching for fearlessness; searching for feelings; searching for freedom. 'With critical eyes And a tentative smile he Showed me a new world' [AiYuki]
1. 5 percent

**Author's Note:**

 **So I'm not entirely sure how this happened. I remember stumbling across beautiful drawings of this crossover pairing months ago on pixiv when I was looking for iDOLM STER pictures. I wasn't even into UtaPri at the time, nor did I know what it was. So I just thought, "Huh."**

 ***sweats nervously***

 **Well later I got into UtaPri after seeing gifs of it on someone's blog where I also got my information for iM S SideM. So yeah. And then I fell in love with Ai's character. And then I remembered seeing those drawings of him and Yukiho, my shy, anxiety-ridden child from iM S. And then I thought about it again. And everything clicked.**

 **I got so super inspired for them that I already have 5 chapters (almost 30 000 words) of this fanfic done and a whole plot planned out. This is the most I have ever written for a fanfic ever. I even feel confident about finishing it, and that makes me feel bad for not updating other fics instead. But I'm doing this.**

 **It's crazy; I'm not expecting any reviews at all (I don't even think anyone else ships them very much other than me and a talented artist across the globe in Japan, and she will likely never ever come across this fanfic). And yet I want to see it finished; it has changed how I look at finishing writing projects.**

 **So if anyone's out there looking at this, expect weekly updates until I reach 20 chapters (plus a bonus chapter, probably). And thanks for joining me on this ride.**

* * *

Loading Love

 _5%_

* * *

 _A light flashed behind unfeeling cyan eyes, heavily disorienting them. Brown hair buffeted around a pretty face before him, distorted in terror. The wind nearly drowned out her cries._

 _"I-I'm r-r-r-really sorry! P-please excuse me!"_

 _And with a series of quick clicks from her small heels and a swish of her dress, she was gone. The light flickered off as soon as it had lit._

 _A hand curled into a fist and pressed against a pounding chest._

 _'What...is this...'_

 _'Ai-Ai~!'_

* * *

"'Ey, Ai-Ai!"

 _That memory..._

Ai blinked at the pouting face of his unit member, the fuzzy images vanishing as his mind snapped to clarity. Reiji was staring at him in concern with his arms folded across his chest.

"What is it, Reiji?" he asked in his light, toneless voice. The brunet rubbed his chin with two fingers.

"You don't normally space out like this," he commented. He tapped his finger against his own cheek. "The last time you acted like this was when you listened to STARISH singing Maji Love 2000%. Did something happen?"

"Yes," Ai responded with robotic honesty. "My ocular receptors are malfunctioning." Reiji's eyes widened.

"You mean...your eyes?" he asked hesitantly. "Is everything blurry? How many fingers am I holding up?" Reiji raised several fingers, shoving his hand in the idol's face.

"Four," Ai told him without missing a beat, mechanically pushing away Reiji's hand. "My vision is not blurry, however. Rather, I am repeatedly seeing events that have already occurred." His fellow idol raised his eyebrows, plopping down on the couch next to the blue-haired idol.

"You mean like memories?" he asked curiously. Ai nodded. "Well, that doesn't sound weird."

"It is not because it is a memory that I am confused. It is a memory of a girl I bumped into for approximately 7.6 seconds. For some reason, I keep seeing her." Reiji was startled by this admission, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Then he grinned and clapped his hands.

"A girl, ehh~?" he replied wryly. "You know love is forbidden for idols, Ai-Ai~" Ai narrowed his eyebrows.

"Love? I do not know if you would call it that. When I saw her, my eyes began to glow. So there must be a malfunction in my ocular - " Reiji suddenly placed his hands on Ai's shoulders.

"This is so exciting, Ai-Ai! I didn't even know if you could fall in love!" One of Ai's cyan blue eyes twitched.

"I do not understand love, Reiji, and according to my data, two people have to be very close to be in love, whereas I only met her for 7.6 seconds. Therefore it cannot be that." Reiji's shoulders slumped in disappointment, and he threw his arms up in melodramatic exasperation. He then grabbed Ai's collar, stomping his feet in dismay.

"Was she at least pretty? Come on, give me details, Ai-Ai~! You and Ran-Ran and Myu-chan are no fun when it comes to romance. Your hearts are all completely cold~, and it makes Rei-chan sad." Ai focused for a moment.

"Pretty?" he articulated. "Oh, she had nice skin." Reiji stopped stomping to take a step back, wiggling his eyebrows with intrigue.

"Oh?" the playful member of Quartet Night drawled. Ai nodded ever-so slightly.

"One hundred percent clear complexion. Eighty percent paleness."

"Do you know who she is?" Reiji asked, resting his chin in his hands.

"According to my data, she is an idol from the 765 Production Agency: Hagiwara Yukiho."

"Y-Yukipo?!" Reiji suddenly exclaimed. His face flickered between shock and solemnity for a few seconds, which confused Ai considering the idol never acted like this. Reiji's eyelids fell halfway over his eyes as he murmured to himself quietly. "But she was...his..." The brunet shook his head, and soon his face relaxed into its typical expression of cheerfulness. "Ah, I've worked with her before. But, ah..." The brunet snapped his fingers. "She has a problem."

"Problem?" Ai asked unblinkingly. Reiji sighed, casting his hand over his eyes.

"She has a severe phobia of men. We could hardly get through a photo shoot together. Alas, I had attempted to soothe her, but it made her anxiety worse, which was upsetting. The photographers in the end were forced to take pictures of us in separate rooms, and the editors solved the problem with photoshop. Unfortunate, as she is a very cute girl~."

"Oh. I know. Her heart was palpitating and she released sweat at an abnormally high rate when she bumped into me. My data tells me that she has had a fear of males since she was eight years old."

"It's a shame," Reiji sighed. "How will she ever find love?" Ai continued to stare at him without a flicker of emotion.

"That's not my problem," he replied. "Anyway, I will fix these memories so they will not be a nuisance anymore. Ah, if only I could do that with people..." Reiji jumped slightly and slowly backed away, raising his hands up defensively as Ai pierced him with his lifeless eyes. They stood silently for about a minute, with the happy-go-lucky idol shifting uncomfortably under Ai's vacant gaze.

"I have work to do," Ai spoke, finally blinking, which caused Reiji to release the breath he'd been holding. Without looking back or saying goodbye, Ai calmly walked away.

Reiji scratched the back of his head with a large sigh.

"Jeez, Ai-Ai, I really felt cold air coming from you!" he said to himself while shaking his mop of curls. He watched Ai's back as he left the room, stroking his nonexistent beard absentmindedly. "But a nuisance, huh? I wonder..."

"Reiji, you have a dangerous expression on your face." Reiji turned to see Ranmaru seated on the couch with his bass guitar, same as he was before. The curly-haired idol threw his hands in the air defensively.

"Ehh?! Ran-Ran, that's no fair! You couldn't even see me from where you're sitting!" he protested in a whining voice.

"I don't need to look at you to sense when you're up to no good. The entire room reeks from your mischief." Reiji clapped his hands against his cheeks.

"Hah~? Ran-Ran, have you been watching me so much to know me so well?" Ranmaru tossed him a fierce glare over his shoulder.

"Don't flatter yourself," the rock idol scoffed. "Everyone knows what you're about the moment they look at you." Reiji chuckled, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Mmmm, I'm not so sure about that." He then placed his hands on his hips. "But opening yourself up to people is a good quality, so I'll thank you for the compliment, anyway~." Ranmaru turned back to tuning his guitar.

"You're a moron," he muttered, plucking a string as he cranked the tuner. Reiji waved one of his hands flippantly at Ranmaru.

"Good talk, Ran-Ran!"

Reiji faced away from his grumpy partner with a determined gleam in his gray eyes.

 _Then it's decided,_ he thought proudly.

* * *

"Do you really think she's ready for this?"

"I...it will be hard on her. But she'll never overcome her fears if she doesn't take a few risks."

"In any case, we shouldn't force her to do anything she doesn't want to. Her fear will become worse if she is exposed to it unwillingly."

"Of course. We'll have to ask for her decision then."

The sound of the door creaking open interrupted their conversation.

"Ah, Yukiho."

The timid idol stood in the threshold with her mouth formed in an 'o' shape. She had been standing behind the door for the last minute, wondering what it was that warranted such a curious discussion.

"Good morning, Producer, Takagi-shachou, Ritsuko-san," she greeted in her soft voice. They stared at her with such concerned expressions that it made her fidget. "U-um, is there something wrong?" The Producer smiled gently at her.

"Well, we got a request for a surprisingly good job offer for you," he told her. Her eyes lit up at this information.

"F-for me? Oh, thank you very much!" Yukiho bowed heavily. As a certain realization dawned on her, she raised her head. "But, um, why are you worried, if it's a good job?"

"Well - " Ritsuko started. She sighed, walking over to place a hand on Yukiho's shoulder. "It will be out of your comfort zone - we're just not sure by how much." Yukiho straightened at this admission. _Out of my comfort zone? That sounds scary, but..._

"W-well, that's - that's why I became an idol. To change...to become more confident. S-so if this will help me, then please, let me take the job."

The three adults stood in shock for a moment before relaxing. Takagi chuckled.

"You've gained a lot more spirit since you first came here," the President remarked. Yukiho beamed at this.

"Thank you," she replied, forcing herself not to stutter. Lifting her chin stiffly, she continued, "So, what's the job?" Ritsuko handed her a paper booklet.

"You have a modeling job for spring fashions with Mikaze Ai from the Shining Agency." Yukiho smiled.

"Ah, Mikaze Ai?" she asked. Ritsuko exchanged nervous glances with the Producer before he looked at Yukiho.

"Mikaze Ai is a member of Quartet Night. This...is him." Producer handed her a magazine with the male idol on the cover of it. His cool eyes stared up at her from the page with an air of melancholy. Yukiho froze.

"H-h-h- _him_?!" she squeaked. "A-as in, a... _a_..." Ritsuko blew out a breath from her pursed lips.

"A teenaged _boy_ , yes. He's about a year younger than you," she admitted. The Producer smiled apologetically.

"He was in the Triple S event last summer. He and his group are both extremely popular. Actually, I think you had a job with Kotobuki Reiji a while ago not long after you first debuted. He was still a solo idol at that point, however." Sweat quickly began to bead up and slide down Yukiho's face at the mention of the male idol.

"K-K-K-Kotobuki-san?!" she shrieked. "I don't have to work with him too, do I?!"

"No!" the Producer assured her quickly. By this time, however, she had already pulled out her shovel.

"I-I-I'm going to dig a hole a-and b-b-bury myself!" Yukiho exclaimed. Otonashi Kotori, the office secretary, entered the group chuckling at that moment with a pile of paperwork in her arms.

"Yukiho-san had a fright due to Kotobuki-san's flirtatious personality," she remembered aloud. Clenching her fist, Kotori continued with hearts in her eyes. "It was undoubtedly cute! Straight out of a shoujo manga! Ha~h..." The secretary sighed, her cheeks tinted pink. The Producer placed a hand on Yukiho's trembling shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Yukiho," he told her. "From what I've seen, Mikaze-san is nothing like Kotobuki-san. He is very serious about his work." Yukiho glanced up at him with tear-filled eyes.

"O-okay," she replied, wiping her face.

"Like Takagi-shachou said, we won't make you do anything you don't want to," Ritsuko spoke up sincerely. "It's entirely up to you." Yukiho stared at the floor scratching her arm, her eyes narrowed in thought.

 _It's a great offer, but am I ready to work with a boy? I've met him before, haven't I?_ she wondered. _I was scared of him then. His eyes seemed to glow, but they were so cold. But will it be the same again? Now that I think about it, haven't I seen him much longer ago? I can't remember..._

Yukiho sighed, her breath lifting her bangs from her forehead. Wrapping her arms around her chest, she tilted her chin up to see their expectant faces.

"Well...wh-when 765Pro had our first concert...I remember having to stand up and sing in front of all those village men. And it was scary then, too...but I managed somehow. It was a success. So...so maybe...m-maybe this is like then."

They were all startled by her words.

"Th-this must be a test. So I have to take this chance. I-I have to overcome my fears, or else I haven't accomplished anything!" Yukiho rested her arms at her sides, holding her gaze towards the ground as she softly curled her fingers. She flinched as Takagi began to laugh heartily, and everyone else stared at him in surprise.

"There's that spirit. You will do well, Yukiho-kun." Eyes widening, a smile spread to either cheek of the mousy idol.

"Thank you."

 _I won't let you down,_ she internally promised.


	2. 10 percent

Loading Love

 _10%_

* * *

An aging professor glanced up from his paperwork at the sound of the door slowly squeaking ajar. His eyebrows raised in a mixture of confusion and concern; he knew only Ai could be there, but Ai never paid him a visit apart from his regular check-ups.

"Ah, Ai, I am surprised to see you," he greeted as the composed idol stepped into the room. Ai's eyes rolled to glance briefly at the bed where Aine laid before his gaze snapped to the Doctor's. The professor was startled at the slightly troubled glaze in the android's eyes, as opposed to his typical indifference.

"I am aware that we have not arranged an appointment, however, there is an issue that must be addressed." The Professor frowned.

"Is there something wrong? Are you malfunctioning?" he questioned, placing a hand on the cyan-haired boy's shoulder. Ever since he created Ai, he felt as though the android was his own son, just as genuinely as Aine was his nephew.

"Yes," Ai bluntly replied. He curled his hand into a fist over his heart. "My ocular receptors are malfunctioning." The professor crossed his arms over his chest, puzzled by the atypical gesture.

"And how long has this been going on for?" he asked. Ai blinked quickly while he processed the information for output.

"Three weeks, four days, seventeen hours, thirty-one minutes, twenty-thre - " The professor elevated a hand to stop him, well aware that he could and likely would continue into the nanoseconds.

"That's fine, I understand. Well..." The professor glanced over at Aine sleeping with a mellow smile. "That's about as long as Aine's condition has changed a bit."

"Changed?" Ai queried, tilting his head to the side. The professor nodded.

"He hasn't woken up, but there has been an unusual amount of brain activity in his memory region, which is strange since he usually never taps into his memories - it's too painful for him. Tell me, do you recall what happened when your ocular receptors first began malfunctioning? And what is the nature of the malfunction?" The robotic idol inclined his head back to alignment with the rest of his body.

"I bumped into Hagiwara Yukiho from the 765 Production Agency while I was heading to my job that day. For some reason, my memory banks keep replaying that encounter over my ocular receptors." The professor sighed a sigh of relief.

"Ah, I see," he replied. Ai stared at him expectantly. "Hagiwara Yukiho was Aine's favourite rising female idol. He never got to work with her, but he knew her for a short period of time when they were younger - maybe they were friends - and he appreciated her singing. He had one or two of her early CDs in his room. It wasn't enough to keep him from...you know...but it brought him some temporary joy."

"Friends..." Ai echoed, eyes flicking to the perpetually unconscious patient. He narrowed his eyes. "So am I reacting to Yukiho because of his memories?"

"Yes. Due to your mindlink, I suppose some of his feelings of affection towards her transferred to you. I doubt it will be much of a problem. In fact..." His voice trailed off as Ai fixed him with his analytical gaze. Unlike most people, the Professor was comfortable with it, since he was the idol's creator, and he practically raised him for a while after he first powered on. He saw the blankness in his face almost like that of a toddler, though he was designed with the maturity of a fifteen year old (he was modified slightly to account for his being a year older now, however the things he learned himself during this time did most of the aging for him). The Doctor met the teenager's gaze evenly.

"It's nothing." He paused, moving his head from side to side. "Yet. Check back with me in a week, same time, to let me know if things continue on like this." Ai blinked once, probably making a reminder in his internal calendar.

"Understood," he replied. Without another word, he left the way he came.

The professor made his way over to Aine's bed to monitor his vital signs, and was surprised to see his blood pressure had decreased marginally since he checked yesterday, following a trend from the previous days.

"This next week could be very interesting," he mused aloud.

* * *

"I still do not see the use in you accompanying me, Reiji."

Ai gazed impassively out the window of Reiji's old car as his fellow unit member started up the punch buggy. The cyan-haired idol had a modeling job today with an idol from another agency, and usually for such independent jobs he would prefer to go alone, as it was more efficient. But Reiji had oddly requested to drive him since it was his day off, even after Ai had pointed out the futility of this favor. He then informed him that it was just something friends do, and he wanted to cheer him on. Ai still could not comprehend this, however, though he knew Reiji was unpredictable and it fit his character to do such baseless things. The brunet laughed lightly.

"Well, this job is actually an interesting offer for you, so I was curious. Did you know you'll be modeling with a female idol?" Ai merely blinked at this piece of information.

"No, I did not. Shining refused to tell me who I would be working with, but I did not think it would matter either way. It is odd that you would know, however." Ai cocked his head, glancing at him from the corner of his eyes. Reiji's own eyes widened and he laughed again nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

"Is it? Shining is strange like that, ahahaha~" The teenager's sharp gaze locked onto Reiji's hands.

"Both hands on the wheel," he rebuked coldly. Reiji turned his head to look at him, his eyebrows slanted upwards.

"Eh? I'm a good driver, I can handle doing it with one hand," Reiji protested.

"Eyes on the road," Ai continued, ignoring his defense. The sanguine idol complied with a deep frown.

"To think, a teenager years away from getting his license telling a twenty-five-year-old how to drive," he muttered childishly.

"It only speaks to your incompetence," Ai retorted with a tone of indifference, to which Reiji shivered emphatically.

"So cold!" he cried. Staring intently at the road this time, he continued on an ominous note, "But you can't stay cold forever." Ai narrowed his cyan eyes at him.

"I do not know what you mean." The older man just smiled knowingly.

"You will."

* * *

Yukiho's heart beat violently as she prepared herself in her dressing room, the weight of many years of anxiety on her chest. Her throat was dry from repeating the words, "Nice to meet you" and "Let's work well together" a dozen times with differing inflections - practice for when she would find herself face-to-face with the cool Mikaze Ai.

She had still never successfully worked with a male idol. Even for dramas and movies, she only ever starred with her friends from 765Pro. Concerts were an entirely different thing because she was on stage, and individual faces could hardly be discerned in the darkness - only the thousands of colourful glowsticks. She could let out all her feelings in song while the crowd cheered her on, and only then was she assured that they were on her side, none intending her harm. As Yukiho now stared into the identically fearful eyes of her reflection, her vision began to swim with events from long ago.

 _'Yukiho-chan is so cute when she's scared!'_

 _'Looks like we've got her cornered.'_

 _'Hey! Look at me, Yukiho-chan!'_

Yukiho pressed her hand against her forehead at the painful memory; she could almost feel the chip from the stone hitting her, followed by her own warm blood gushing down her face in front of a team of young, taunting boys. Tears welled up in her eyes at the recollection.

 _'Yukiho, the men you see around the house are all my disciples. Be sure to stay out of their way.'_

 _'Move, stupid girl.'_

 _'I didn't expect Hagiwara-sama would be raising such a pitiful mouse.'_

 _'You are turning out to be a severely disappointing child. I can never pass my business onto you.'_

"Yukiho."

Gasping, the girl glanced up to see her Producer standing in the doorway.

"Ah, P-P-Producer!" she exclaimed, roughly wiping at her eyes. It had taken her a few months to get to this point, but now she at least felt fairly at ease around her producer. He was the only member of the opposite sex (that she could remember) that had shown her true kindness, aside from the friendly village men who attended her first concert, and for that she was grateful. Unfortunately, it was difficult to transfer her ease with him to other men. She knew that there were many good men out there, and she felt ashamed for showing such fear, but she as soon as she looked at a man or boy in the eye, the memories would flood back to her and all she could see were demons.

"Are you still sure about this?" the Producer asked her. It was likely he could tell she'd been crying. Yukiho nodded.

"I...I have to try," she mumbled. The young man gave her a thumbs-up.

"Don't push yourself too much, though of course you want to do a good job. Just see if you can say 'hi' to him. Or maybe not even that! You can completely ignore him - just block him out so you can pose next to him!" Yukiho giggled.

"Isn't that m-mean?" she questioned softly. He smiled.

"Good luck."

Taking a deep breath, with her bangs shielding her eyes and her head bowed low, Yukiho stood from her chair. After remaining still for a few seconds, she then began to move.

 _One step...two steps...three...four..._

She slowly quickened her pace to regular walking speed until she had left the room at last and entered the studio. However, just as soon as she exited she bumped into someone.

Cyan eyes pierced her from above.

"Uwaahh!" she shrieked, flinching back and covering her face. _I-I-It's Mikaze Ai! He m-m-may be a year younger, but h-he's so t-t-tall!_ she thought, cursing the fact that even in her mind she stuttered when faced with her fears.

"Ah, Yukiho, I have been meaning to speak with you," the boy told her in a matter-of-fact tone. _I-I thought I prepared for this!  
_

"Hey, Ai-Ai! Be gentle with her!" Yukiho stiffened at the added sound of a familiar flirtatious voice. She didn't dare spare him a glance; as it was she was struggling not to slip into a catatonic state. Apparently he had begun to make his way over to the pair, but Ai raised his hand back at him, still facing the distressed girl.

"Stop. You would not be able to handle this." Reiji cried out in defense.

"But Ai-Ai - !"

"Yukiho," Ai said to the fearful idol, ignoring Reiji as he leaned towards her. She shrunk back. Confused, he moved in closer so that she wound up pressed against a wall. He stared her down with his clear, emotionless eyes.

"Wh-wh-what d-do you w-want from me?" Her voice cracked as her eyes overflowed with tears. In her mind, he began to grow horns and a spiked tail, shadows enshrouding his figure as his light eyes glowed menacingly.

"I was expecting the chances of you being afraid of me would be ninety-nine point nine-nine-nine percent," he told her.

"E-eh?!" she stammered, holding her arms above her head. _Why does he talk like that?_ she wondered internally. His imposing presence made the encounter much more jarring than she had anticipated

"But there is no need for that," he continued. "I am aware you have a crippling phobia of men, so I will let you in on a secret."

Yukiho breathed in respite when he moved away from her, though her heart was still racing a mile a minute. Some of Ai's imagined demonic features began to fade, though they still flickered around him in Yukiho's eyes. She cocked her head to signal for him to continue.

"You spend a significant percentage of time with Kikuchi Makoto from your agency. She is a female who is forced to dress in a masculine fashion for work, correct?" Yukiho gulped and nodded. "She is the same as me." The girl's trembling suddenly ceased as she attempted to wrap her head around his sudden admission.

"Wh..." she whimpered.

"I am actually a girl, but I pretend to be a boy for idol work," Ai told her blandly. "I knew it would waste a lot of time for you to be nervous on the job, so I decided to tell you the truth." Yukiho blinked several times in quick succession. It took her a moment to fully understand his confession over her anxiety. Her eyes widened slowly as everything sunk in for her.

 _So...all along..._

* * *

"So...so you're not a real boy?" Ai shook his head ever-so slightly. It wasn't a complete lie, when she put it like that. Also, he could graph a perfect curve of how quickly her heart rate returned to normal levels. Yukiho finally brightened. "Oh...th-thank you for telling me. S-so much. This was really kind of you."

"Kind?" he repeated, his thin eyebrows furrowing. "You're naive like Reiji. It's not kindness, it's efficiency." The timid idol blinked.

"Eh?" Her eyes widened again at the mention of the playful idol - she seemed to block out his following words. "U-um, will K-Kotobuki-san be taking photos with us?" she yelped. Ai turned away from her to begin to walk towards the set.

"No," he replied. "He simply decided to be here. It's inefficient, but - " Ai stopped when he felt a small weight bumping into him from behind. He turned his head to glance back at Yukiho, who stood very close to him. He stared at her for her to explain.

"Ah, s-sorry. Just..." Yukiho took a gulp of air. "I...I know that Kotobuki-s-san probably means well, but it...would best for me to stay close to someone I would be more comfortable with...while I'm in the same room as him. I want...to slowly overcome my fears, but...I-I need to take it at my own pace." Ai nodded.

"I see," he responded. Turning to face Reiji, who was standing approximately five metres and forty-seven centimetres away, he called to him in his toneless voice. "Reiji." The curly-haired male perked up at the sound of his name, akin to a puppy.

"Say, what's up, Ai-Ai?" he yelled back, cupping his hands around his mouth. Ai stared at him with his cool eyes.

"Go sit in that corner over there." He pointed to a dark corner at the opposite end of the room. Reiji then made a defensive stance, flailing his arms around.

"What?! Ai-Ai, you can't be serious! Are you punishing me?"

"I am always serious. Is that not something you once said?" Reiji chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

"Ah, well, I did say that, but...but why do you want me to go into the corner?!" he complained. Ai's cyan eyes flashed.

"Your presence is a burden to Yukiho. I told you your being here would be inefficient." Reiji glaciated.

"A burden?! Hey, Yukipo, is that true...? Huh?" He glanced anxiously around the studio. "Where is Yukipo?"

The demure idol peeked out from behind Ai, and then peeped anxiously upon catching Reiji's eye. The male's shoulders slumped, seemingly realizing his fate.

"I...am a burden..." he murmured, visibly depressed.

"You are," Ai agreed. "So face the wall when you get to the corner and don't be noisy." Reiji sighed heavily, defeated. He slowly trudged towards the corner and plopped down on the floor once he was there.

"U-um, Ai-chan," Yukiho started, tugging the back of his shirt. "I feel bad making him sit in the corner." Ai focused on Reiji, heightening his hearing range to ensure that the male idol was silent. His eyes narrowed.

"Reiji, stop muttering to yourself," he commanded tonelessly. Reiji raised his head and pouted back at the strict idol.

"You're going to deny me even that?" he whined. The cyan-haired boy's eyes slitted even further.

"I said, 'don't be noisy.'" Reiji sobbed.

"I can't help if you have supersonic hearing..." he muttered.

"Supersonic is a speed, not a decibel level," Ai corrected him. Reiji did not respond save for another quiet whine. Ai then turned around to face Yukiho. "Hm? You say that, but your heart rate has decreased to sixty beats-per-minute, which indicates perfect calmness as well as cardiovascular fitness. Your respiratory rate has also slowed to normal levels." Yukiho blinked several times at this evaluation.

"O-oh..." she replied, bumping her index fingers together. Her cheeks then turned pink. "I...I guess I do feel better with K-Kotobuki-san like that." Sweat running down her temple, she suddenly waved her hands around wildly. "But hopefully h-he doesn't have to stay like that for the whole shoot!" Ai's blank stare flickered to Reiji, who was quickly creating a large area of gloom around his corner.

"We will see." He glanced back at Yukiho and his eyes widened slightly at the smile on her face.

"Th-thank you again for your concern, Ai-chan," she said. He averted his eyes, feeling his chest pound for some inexplicable reason. _The same as before,_ he thought. He was about to tell her that he knew his actions would have a higher rate of success, but before he could open his mouth, the photographer called out to them.

"Okay, Mikaze-san, Hagiwara-san!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Let's have a good shoot!"

"Y-yes!" Yukiho exclaimed while Ai simply nodded. For the first shot, the woman had them standing back-to-back, with Yukiho running her hand through her hair and Ai with his hands in his pockets, both staring into some unseen distance.

"Yes! Yes! Your auras go together so well! Timid and cool! Cold blue and warm brown! Okay, Mikaze-san, put your hand on her head. Yes, just like that! Now Hagiwara-san, pull his sleeve. Ahh, very cute!"

* * *

Yukiho's producer leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest, feeling perplexed by the female idol's calmness. She demonstrated no symptoms of anxiety whatsoever, as though she were merely working with one of her fellow 765Pro idols rather than a pretty male idol she'd never met personally before. Just minutes ago she had broken down from apprehension at the thought of being near him; now she could allow him to pat her head without reaching for her shovel. And he knew Mikaze Ai had a reputation for being aloof - in fact it was his selling point - so he could not comprehend why Yukiho would feel so relaxed.

 _Unless...something has changed,_ the Producer wondered.

"Hmmm, I'm kind of jealous." The producer jumped at the sound of a cheerful voice.

"Ah, Kotobuki-sa - " Reiji raised his hand with his eyes closed.

"Please, I hate formalities. Call me Rei-chan." The producer gawked.

"Um, haha, how about I just call you Rei-san?" he asked. Reiji sighed.

"If you must." Reiji mirrored the Producer's position as he studied Ai and Yukiho alongside him. "To think, the chilly Ai-Ai could cure Yukipo of her fear, and the charming Rei-chan could not." The Producer smiled.

"It is interesting. I have no idea how he did it, because it took her a few months to trust even me. He did say something to her earlier," the Producer remarked, recalling the moment when Ai had scared her up against a wall. He had felt very tense at that moment, because Yukiho was like a younger sister to him, and seeing her petrified like that nearly spurred him into action. But he was amazed when not thirty seconds later she returned to normal.

"He did whisper something to her. It was kind of romantic for Ai-Ai~. I need to ask him the magic words later." The Producer glanced sideways at Reiji. The idol's gray eyes were dark beneath the shadow of his hat. Looking back at the two idols on the set, the younger man shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know about romantic, but..." his voice trailed off. "It is interesting."

* * *

"Okay, good work, Mikaze-san, Hagiwara-san!" the photographer called. The two idols loosened from their last pose. "Now, go change into your second outfits, please." Yukiho beamed at Ai.

"Th-that was kind of fun, right Ai-chan?" she asked.

"Fun?" Ai questioned flatly, eyes boring into hers.

"Ah, um..." Unsettled by his impassivity, Yukiho turned to return to her dressing room. Before she could move, however, she spotted Reiji standing next to her producer and staring at them, directly next to the door. A dark cloud loomed over her face as tremors passed through her muscles.

"Reiji, why are you not sitting in the corner?" Ai demanded coldly.

"A-ah, Ai-Ai! I just left for a minu - " The cyan-haired idol appeared immediately next to him.

"Go," he ordered. With great reluctance, though driven by the sight of Yukiho's bluish face, Reiji sent himself back to the corner from whence he came, dragging his feet as he went.

"I-I-I'm really s-sorry for disturbing y-you, K-K-Kotobuki-san!" Yukiho shrieked, bowing low several times as tears streamed from her eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Yukipo!" Reiji reassured her without turning around. Nodding repeatedly, Yukiho flew to the dressing room and slammed the door shut. Afterwards, Ai calmly made his way to his own dressing room on the other end of the room. When he passed by Reiji's designated corner, the brunet spoke up.

"So what were the magic words, Ai-Ai?" he asked slyly. Ai paused.

"What do you mean?" His eyebrows slanted downwards as Reiji chuckled.

"To soothe the ruffled Yukipo," he answered, peeking at him from under his hat. His eyes appeared to dance with intrigue.

"Oh." Ai reached for the door knob of his room. "I told her I was a girl." Twisting the knob, he opened the door slightly and went inside, shutting it quietly behind him. Reiji laughed dryly again.

"I see," he said, removing his hat to spin it around on his index finger. As he replaced his hat back on his head, he suddenly gripped its brim tightly with two fists as realization struck him. "Wait - WHAT?!" Reiji leaped to his feet and hurried over to Ai's room, banging on the door. "Ai-Ai, what did you do?!" Ai emerged three seconds later, fully dressed in his new outfit. Reiji always found it unnerving how quickly the younger idol could get changed.

"I told you. I told her I was a girl forced to dress as a boy to be an idol, like Ringo."

"So you lied to her?" Reiji exclaimed. Dusting off his shoulders, Ai nodded.

"It was the option with the highest potential rate of success. She is comfortable with a girl from her agency that looks like a boy, so the same could be applied to our situation. I could have scared her into paralysis to be able to stand still next to me, but it would not have been as effective." A drop of sweat rolled down Reiji's temple at Ai's clinical rationale.

"So cold..." As Ai began to walk away, Reiji followed him. "So are you going to tell her the truth after the shoot?" Ai blinked, glancing back at Reiji.

"Why?" Reiji's face clouded over like Yukiho's from a few minutes ago.

"Because...!" He stroked his nonexistent beard as he usually did when in deep thought. Yukiho was a girl, and a cute girl at that, so for Reiji it was natural to treat her honestly. "Because it's not good to lie to a lady?" he tried weakly. This gentlemanly suggestion did not fly with Ai; he blinked several times as he attempted to process the logic behind the statement, though his expression remained vacant.

"Try again," he deadpanned. Reiji snapped his fingers.

"Because if you tell her you're a boy after she already became comfortable with you as a girl, then she might lose her fear of men!" Ai squinted at Reiji.

"But how does that benefit me?" he asked. Reiji looked as though Ai had just slapped him in the way he recoiled at his simple question, which perplexed the boy, as the two actions varied radically. Ai pursed his lips in annoyance as Reiji suddenly grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Not everything is about personal benefits!" he chided. He ceased shaking him upon seeing the lack of influence his words held over the cool idol. "But if you have to work with her again, she won't be afraid of you." Ai's processor immediately pinpointed the contradiction in Reiji's argument.

"But she won't be afraid of me anyway if she continues to believe that I am a girl," he replied.

"Well - it's the nice thing to do," Reiji stated finally. Ai's eyes widened marginally at this. "I know you have a heart in there somewhere, Ai-Ai." The mop-top idol then took off his hat. He placed it on his wrist and rolled it up and around his shoulders to his other hand before popping it back on his head. Reiji then formed his hands into gun-shapes, pointing his index fingers at Ai as he clicked his tongue. "You just gotta let it open."

Ai glanced across the room to see that Yukiho had finished changing and was currently clinging to her door as she waited for him. He looked back at Reiji.

"Go back to your corner," he said. Reiji pouted at him before he returned to the dark corner. Ai's gaze flickered back to Yukiho as she inched her way back into the studio.

 _A nice thing to do._

He placed a hand over his artificial heart.

 _Reiji is naive as usual._

"Mikaze-san, let's get going!" the photographer called. Ai bowed his head, lowering his hand back to rest at his side before walking towards the set. He noticed a park bench had been added to the scene; Yukiho was currently sitting on it with her legs crossed, wearing a floral summer dress with intricate white sandals.

"Okay, Mikaze-san, for this shot I want you to sit on top of the back of the bench, next to Hagiwara-san." They continued with several more park-themed photos, even one where Ai and Yukiho sat head-to-head on a mat of fake grass and flowers, before moving onto the next pair of outfits where they both wore designer glasses.

After a few hours with the photographer, during which they posed for paired as well as single shots, Reiji had emerged from his corner bit by bit. Ai, with his hawkish vision, was aware of this, however Yukiho was distracted enough by their work that she got used to the additional idol's presence (so long as he didn't speak up) that Ai decided not to pressure Reiji to go back.

At the end of the shoot, Yukiho yawned and turned to Ai with a sweet smile. She waved to the photographer as she passed with her bagged equipment, rushing to the exit.

"I'm so happy this was a success," she told Ai. "I was really nervous at first because I thought you were a boy, so I'm grateful that you told me your secret. Oh! I promise I won't tell anyone, by the way. Not even Makoto-chan!" Staring at Ai's face, she continued, "Though, now I kind of wish you were a b-boy. You're really nice and calm, so...maybe you would have helped me overcome my fears." Ai stared back at her wordlessly.

"Yukiho, it's time to go." Yukiho whirled around to wave at her producer.

"Um, I'll be there in a minute!" At his nod, she turned back to Ai, whilst her Producer left the room to take a call. "Hopefully we can have more jobs together. I wouldn't mind working with you again. So - "

"Yukiho." The girl jumped at the cyan-haired idol's sudden speech. He strained himself to keep his expression neutral, and he could see his own hands shaking in his peripheral vision.

"Eh? What is it?" Ai continued to stare at her.

"I am not a girl." Yukiho's eyes widened.

"Wh-what? B-but you - "

"I lied." Ai inclined his head to one side. "It was the most efficient course of action to ensure a successful photo shoot. Your anxiety would have wasted time." Yukiho's gaze was conflicted as she studied him from head-to-toe, attempting to adjust to the revelation. She squeaked as he leaned forward towards her. "Are you afraid of me again?"

Ai could sense that her heart seemed to be at war with itself, fluctuating from pumping blood at a high rate, then a normal rate, then high again. Her body acted as though it were confused as to how to react. Her brown eyes searched his cyan pair desperately.

"I...I-I don't know," she replied truthfully.

"You do not know if you are afraid?" Yukiho shook her head, her bangs falling over her eyes. She scratched her neck.

"I was...comfortable with you, thinking you were a girl, and I had a good time. But I'm normally afraid of m-men, so finding out that you're a boy now..."

"But he's a gentleman, no?" They both looked up to see Reiji approaching. He had his arms raised and his hands flicked out with a cheerful grin on his face. "He's not _quite_ at my level, but Ai-Ai is decent; he wouldn't try anything - well, besides making you a test subject...but he does that with everyone. He would have treated you the same if you knew he was a guy."

Yukiho hid behind Ai as soon as she noticed Reiji's proximity to them, and remained there as he spoke, peeking out at him from behind the sixteen-year-old's arm. There seemed to have been a flash as she did all this in one quick movement. She kept a tight grasp on Ai's wrist with both of her hands.

Reiji raised an eyebrow at them.

"Well there you have it, Ai-Ai; Yukipo." He smirked. Ai could feel the girl's palms begin to sweat, though she did not release his arm.

"I-I guess..." Yukiho stuttered, "I...I'm not s-so afraid of you, Ai-ch- Ai- _kun_." Ai turned his head to glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Maybe if you become friends, Yukipo will lose her fear of men entirely," Reiji suggested craftily. His mouth fell open somewhat at the sight of Ai glancing down at the floor in deep thought. The younger idol curled and uncurled his fist, knocking it lightly against his chest.

"It would be useful," Ai remarked, eyes flashing, "for research purposes." He moved 180 degrees around to look Yukiho in the eye, lowering his head to her level. He analyzed her face carefully. "There is a sixty percent chance that you would be a more worthwhile test subject than Syo. I still do not _completely_ understand the concept of a 'friend.'"

Yukiho emitted a short, high-pitched sound, taking a step back, though her heart rate did not increase by much. Her brown orbs rounded like saucers.

Reiji began to laugh anxiously. He reached forward to pull Ai back by the shoulder, though the younger idol had remarkable strength.

"Eheh, Ai-Ai, don't ruin this beautiful moment. This is a lovely union, please don't scare half of it away." Within a second, Ai backed off from Yukiho and walked away towards the exit without a single farewell. Reiji followed him so as not to cause the 765Pro idol any further distress; he did, however, raise two fingers in a 'peace' sign back at her as he moved. Yukiho was left to her own bewilderment.

"See you again, Yukipo!" She waved back tentatively as her Producer joined her at her side.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked. Yukiho's eyelids fluttered several times before she responded.

"Um, yes," she said quietly. She let the Producer go ahead of her and then went after him.

"So were you able to face your fears, Yukiho?" he asked her as he opened the door to their taxi. "You did a great job." She ducked her head and went inside.

"I..." she began.

 _"I was expecting the chances of you being afraid of me would be ninety-nine point nine-nine-nine percent."_

 _"Are you afraid of me again?"_

 _"I still do not_ completely _understand the concept of a 'friend.'"_

Yukiho lurched forward in her seat as the driver accelerated abruptly. She tilted her head as she looked to her Producer and smiled.

"I think so."

In truth, as she gazed out her window, her heartbeat drummed ferociously inside her chest, keeping her in a state of spiked adrenaline. She had never felt a fear that roared like a lion before. Eyelids sliding over her caramel-coloured irises, she wondered to herself,

 _What is this feeling?_

* * *

Silence permeated the blue punch buggy so profoundly that Reiji, suffocated by it, rolled down his window to feel the wailing of the wind against his cheek. Ai chose to watch his driving to ensure that he wasn't making any maneuvers that would increase the probability of their getting into an accident. Periodically, he would make dull criticisms of Reiji's technique. Grinning at a pretty female driver next to him, Reiji decided to break the silence.

"So, Ai-Ai, you decided to tell Yukipo the truth after all," he remarked, glancing at Ai in his rear-view mirror. The melancholic-type idol stared out at the road with his chin propped up on his hand, slowly blinking.

"I was forced to," he stated. Reiji frowned.

"Forced to? I thought you said it was unnecessary to tell her the truth." Ai turned his gaze to his hands, studying them intently. _They were shaking before._

"I did not plan to speak to her at all about it. But I did." Reiji smiled knowingly. The cool idol's fingers twitched. "I lost control of myself."

"That sounds about right," the brunet replied, narrowing his eyes.

"Wrong," Ai responded. Reiji raised his eyebrows.

"Huh?" Ai turned his analytical eyes onto the older man.

"In this circumstance you would say, 'That's not like you, Ai-Ai. You're supposed to be the flawless idol.'"

"Wha-? Why did you figure that?"

"Simple deduction based on all of your past interactions with me. No matter, since my prediction was incorrect." Reiji chuckled as Ai pursed his lips in slight irritation.

"Hey, Ai-Ai, people are always changing. You can't guess what they'll say next just going off of what they said before." Ai leaned back in his seat, glancing back at the road ahead.

"Huh. My prediction was correct this time." Reiji knocked his head on the wheel. "Eyes on the road."

* * *

"'Mornin', Yukiho!"

"Eh? U-um, Makoto-chan, what is everyone looking at?"

Yukiho walked into the office the next day to the sight of all her fellow 765Pro idols crowded around her best friend on the couch. Makoto was currently cradling a magazine in her arms.

"Yukiho-chan, you did really well at the shoot yesterday!" Haruka, the centre of 765ALLSTARS and Yukiho's other best friend commented. "You look so natural!" Yukiho smiled shyly, blushing at all the attention.

"Well, I wasn't really very nervous," she admitted. "Ai-kun was very easy to work with."

"Ai-kun?" one of the Futami twins queried mischievously.

"You're on first-name-basis with him already?" the other one added with a snicker. Yukiho flapped her arms in protest.

"Aah, n-no! It's because I-I called him Ai-chan before I found out..." Makoto set the magazine down.

"Before you found out what, Yukiho?" she asked. Yukiho's face reddened even further.

"Uhh...h-he told me he was actually a girl who did idol work as a boy - kind of like you, Makoto-chan! - so that I wouldn't be afraid of him." Makoto's eyes widened before she pouted.

"S-sneaky bastard..." the tomboy muttered. Yukiho knew she hated modeling as a boy, though she was forced to for work because of her naturally virile appearance. Yayoi - the youngest girl after the twins - leaped over to the mousy idol at that moment.

"Wait, so Mikaze Ai-san is actually a girl?!" she exclaimed. Yukiho shook her head and hands furiously.

"N-no! He just told me that to help me be able to work with him. He said it was 'efficient' that way."

"'Efficient...'" the eleven other girls echoed; Yukiho imagined question marks popping up over their heads. She sighed.

"Well, that was nice of him, still," the eldest of them named Azusa remarked, pressing her hand against her own cheek. Yukiho's face lit up and she nodded.

"A-Ai-kun is really helpful!" she agreed, her eyes shining. She raised her hands as she clenched them into fists. "He knows so much and he's really blunt and disciplined, which helped me to improve myself! And he's really calm, s-so I felt like everything would work out smoothly!"

The other girls blinked at her. Yukiho wrapped her arms in a sort of cocoon around herself when the twins suddenly threw their arms around her shoulders, grinning madly at her.

"Say, Yuki-pyon..." Ami began.

"Could this be..." Mami piled on. The young twins locked arms behind the cowardly seventeen-year-old, reaching out with their other arms towards each other.

"A confession?" they sang in unison, doing a high-five. Yukiho glanced from one to the other, making her dizzy.

"N-no! I-I just look up to him like Takane-san."

"Yukiho, does this mean you're cured of your phobia now?" Makoto queried. Yukiho's straight hair swished as she shook her head. She remembered vividly how she hid behind the cyan-haired idol whenever Reiji talked to her.

"No, I'm just comfortable with Ai-kun. He...confused me into not being afraid of him." Stepping over to sit next to Makoto on the couch, Yukiho pulled the magazine into her own lap. "'765Pro and Shining Agency Mash-Up: Hagiwara Yukiho and Mikaze Ai Pair Up to Show Off Spring Fashions,'" she read aloud. The subtitle then caught her eye, so she proceeded to read. "'Rumors of partnership in future projects...'" Yukiho squeaked. "Future partnership?"

"Magazine writers sometimes say things like that to add spice to their articles," Miki, the resident blonde told her. Nodding, Yukiho flipped to the picture section. As soon as her eyes landed on the page, she gasped.

"Did I really look like that?" she breathed. In the first image, Yukiho's smile lit up her face as Ai pat her head awkwardly (as intended) with his eyes averted. The colours in their hair and eyes were smooth and vibrant, as though they were in a painting. The conglomerate heiress named Iori looked over Yukiho's shoulder as she hugged her pink stuffed rabbit to her chest.

"Nah. They usually use photoshop," she replied.

"O-oh." Makoto glared at the long-haired brunette, who shrugged.

"What? They do photoshop for everyone."

"Yes, but Yukiho probably still looked adorable without it!" Makoto retorted. Iori rolled her eyes.

"Of course she did - she's that type of idol. I was just saying." Expecting an argument to broil, Yukiho flipped to the next page rapidly enough to create a loud rustling sound, even ripping the page from its binding; this served to interrupt the little squabble. One of the girls bent down to check if any loose paper had fallen.

"Miki is jealous, Yukiho-chan," Miki remarked, resting her chin on the timid girl's shoulder to view the photos with her. "Those sun dresses are really stylish and cute. And that hat. And those glasses." Miki lazily slapped her finger onto the page. Tapping her chin with her other hand, the laidback blonde added, "And Ai-kun. Though Miki still prefers Honey."

"I-I'm sure you'll get another photo shoot soon, Miki-chan. You do really well in them," Yukiho assured her self-consciously.

"Miki knows," Miki replied bluntly. "But Yukiho-chan had a good shoot herself."

"She did, didn't she?" Makoto chimed in with a touch of fondness for her childhood friend, placing her elbow on the meek idol's shoulder. "And she doesn't look nervous in any of her shots with Ai-san, either." Yukiho's mouth parted to speak, but Takane interjected.

"She does in this one," the silver-haired idol said ominously, holding up the piece of paper that Yukiho ripped from the magazine by accident. The atmosphere chilled around her, all the girls stopping their mini conversations to listen in. Bowing her head in apology, Takane handed the page to Yukiho.

"What is..."

The photo was blurry, but what it depicted made Yukiho's blood run cold. The figures in it were Ai, Yukiho, and Reiji, who was not even involved in the shoot, which was the first red flag. Yukiho was using Ai as a shield, her eyes welling with tears as she peered out at a smirking Reiji, _her hands gripping one of Ai's wrists for dear life_.

'Could it be that there is something more to their chemistry in the photos?' the caption blared.

'A jealous Rei-chan?' a subtitle added.

Yukiho fell back on the couch.

"Yu...Yukiho?!" Makoto shouted. She placed a hand on her forehead as everyone crowded around her.

"Makoto-kun?" Miki prodded.

"She's - !" Makoto glanced around at all of them and sighed. "She fainted."

* * *

 **A/N: I honestly wasn't expecting even one reviewer, that's how unpopular I thought the pairing would make this story be. But I thank you for your curiosity, Free water-drop wind! Even if you don't know much about The iDOLMASTER, I'm glad you decided to give this fanfic a chance, and I hope I'm descriptive enough so that you get a better sense of Yukiho's character as you go along, and I promise I won't throw in scenes with too many of the 765Pro girls too often (I really hope the last scene wasn't confusing with all the different girls). I hope (overall) this chapter met your expectations.**

 **And if anyone else is reading, I really do appreciate reviews. Even though I'll write this story anyway, it's nice to hear from people who actually do end up reading it. Compliments, criticisms - I'll take them all!**


	3. 15 percent

**A/N: I know I've updated way later than I said I would but I'm here now and it's late at night and so I'll save most of my notes for the bottom. Just one thing: I wanted to do my best to replicate Saotome's speech even while putting it in English, so for reference, all of the words he speaks in caps are supposed to be English while the rest are Japanese, following the pattern of his speech style in the anime.**

 **Enjoy (maybe).**

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Loading Love

 _15%_

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A certain resident pink-haired sweetheart of Saotome Academy's Master Course dorms dashed through the halls breathlessly, whipping her head around left and right as she skirted the corner and skidded to a halt. Her wide golden eyes spun wildly around for a few disorienting moments before she steadied herself, resting her elbow against the wall. Then she spotted the door of her intended search and sprinted the rest of the way towards it. Unfortunately, rather than knocking politely, as she prepared to do, she found herself ramming into it with a dull thud, having tripped just as she was attempting to stop.

"Who's that?" a rough voice called from inside.

"N-Nanami Haruka!" the girl gasped, scrambling to her feet. A short blond with barrettes in his hair immediately appeared, ripping the barrier open. Giving a quick once-over to her hunched frame and reddened knees, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Haruka!" he exclaimed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"A-ah, I'm definitely okay, Syo-kun!" she replied hastily, not willing to center on herself. "I just tripped a little on the way here - but that's only because I was so worried." The fire in Syo's clear blue eyes, which flared before suddenly extinguished at her words. He glanced briefly over his shoulder, and, turning back to her, he lowered his voice.

"You came because of the scandal, right?" Haruka nodded once.

"I'm worried about Mikaze-senpai, Syo-kun," she replied. Syo growled quietly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Don't be. He's taking this very - um - _robotically_ , let's say." Haruka smiled, despite Syo's evident irritation. "Although..." he paused, sweat beading off his brow, "...his career may be in danger, no matter how he's acting right now." He was startled by the fact that Haruka's smile merely bloomed at this.

"So you're worried about Mikaze-senpai, too," she stated, tilting her head. He frowned.

"W-well..." he faltered, "...yeah." As Haruka continued to gaze kindly up at him, he continued more fiery, "Yeah, I am!" He clenched his fists, his face contorted in exasperation. "But he acts like it's no big deal! Even though I never thought _Ai_ would be the one to break the no-love rule."

The friends were interrupted by another voice.

"That is because it is not 'love.'" Haruka started as the subject of their conversation approached.

"Mikaze-senpai!" she exclaimed. He regarded her coolly before turning back to Syo.

"The rule cannot be broken if it was never infringed," he rationalized. A taller blond instantly joined the trio.

"But Ai-chan! The picture was very suggestive!" he reminded him. Beams of light seemed to flow from his bright face as he proceeded to strike a dramatic pose. "Yuki-chan standing there looking desperately cute, ducking behind the cool Ai-chan for protection, emotions flying as she held onto his hand, all in defiance of a jealous Rei-chan-senpai!" The tall young man mimicked each stage of his narration of the event, assuming the persona of each character within it. He then blinked. "Oh! Hi, Haru-chan!"

"Hi, Shinomiya-san," she replied with a smile and a small wave.

"That is an inaccurate portrayal of the circumstances," Ai spoke up, folding his arms across his chest. Syo ripped at his hair in exasperation.

"So what did happen?" he demanded. Pulling his hat over his eyes, he added with a frown, "For once, I agree with Natsuki - it kinda does look like... _that_." Natsuki pulled the shorter teenager into a tight hug.

"Syo-chan! Does this mean we're on the same wavelength?" he asked gleefully. Syo struggled to shove him off.

"N-no! It's just a coincidence that we happen to agree about our senpai on this _specific_ circumstance!" he screamed. Ai released a short irritated breath over their antics. Syo's quarrels with Natsuki never ended in victory for him, so their senior easily grew impatient with them.

"Reiji attempted to communicate with Yukiho after the photo shoot. She then began to exhibit symptoms of hyperventilation, so she stood behind me and grabbed my wrist - not my hand - to alleviate them." The others' shoulders slumped at the clinical response, save for Haruka, who merely appeared curious.

"Well, Natsu's description of it was more romantic," the sound of Reiji's voice carried to them from the hall. He sauntered into the dorm with one arm cushioning the back of his head and his other hand on his hip, the picture of casual. Ai squinted at his fellow group member in distaste.

He still held it against the happy-go-lucky idol for being inefficient during the shoot the previous day, unwittingly initiating the scandal with his wild card disposition. The cyan-haired boy wondered if any of that day's compromising events would have occurred had Reiji not insisted on him being honest with Yukiho.

"Kotobuki-senpai," Haruka greeted with a small bow. Reiji grinned at her.

"Hey, Kouhai-chan," he replied, ruffling her hair as he passed, though she quickly rearranged it. "I could hear Ai-Ai being dull again from my room. He just doesn't want to admit that the sweet and shy Yukipo makes his heart go..." Reiji thumped his hand rhythmically against his chest, "...doki-doki."

"I never admit to a meaningless lie; that would be illogical," Ai replied. Reiji smirked, tipping his hat.

"So you didn't lie to Yukipo about being a girl?" he asked.

"Eh?!" Syo cried instantly, placing his hands on Ai's shoulders. "You told her you were a _girl_?!" Ai removed his pupil's hands, then glanced back at Reiji.

"That was not a meaningless lie, as I said. It was necessary to complete the job efficiently. And Syo," Ai turned back to his student, "should I have told her I was something else?"

Syo, Natsuki and Haruka's eyes flashed at the suggestion, serving Ai's case. They all shook their heads simultaneously, which seemed to pique Reiji's curiosity. His taupe-gray eyes narrowed at them in suspicion.

"Th-that would have made things much, much worse!" Syo shouted. Haruka was the first of the trio to snap out of their alarm, turning to the side to tap her chin in thought.

"Hagiwara-san has a fear of men, right?" she asked for clarification, glancing among the group. At the idols' varying nods, the composer beamed. "Then it was nice of you to try and make her feel better, Mikaze-senpai." Ai eliminated the implication without a beat.

"'Nice' had nothing to do with it," he responded curtly. He wondered why everyone kept insisting on the sentiment; why would he do something vague and muddled like kindness? Three of the room's current occupants should have known better than Reiji or Yukiho: he was as direct as his programming dictated.

Reiji rested his elbow on Haruka's head at that moment, ignoring Ai's rebuttal.

"Hah? Is our Kouhai-chan _complimenting_ Ai-Ai for telling a _lie_ ~?" The pinkette's eyes widened into the size of cymbals.

"A-um - I didn't mean it like that! It was the gesture - " Reiji patted her head as he chuckled.

"Silly Rei-chan was just teasing~"

"Oh, I see."

"So, Ai," Syo cut in, his eyebrows knitted together severely. Ai turned his attention to him. "What are you going to do about the rumors? Will you have to quit being an idol?"

Ai was aware of Syo and Natsuki's concern. They seemed to view him as young boys with their older brother, which was a conflict in his data considering he was actually younger than both of them, despite being their senior. His roommates - along with Haruka - were the only ones to have learned that he was a robot, when he lost power during the filming of Innocent Wind, and somehow they became more protective of him since then. This was another contradiction that Ai was struggling to comprehend; older brothers were supposed to be the protective ones. He amounted it to their age.

The cyan-haired boy moved towards the window, through which he spotted dark clouds rolling in overhead, bringing forth a memory of the days he shot that enlightening movie, where he gained his first grasp of the human concept of closeness - when he first decided that Natsuki, Syo and Haruka were his friends. He still wondered if the feelings were similar within Quartet Night; at least Reiji seemed to think so. Camus was more difficult to read, but the fact that Ranmaru hadn't disbanded them yet was telling.

"It is up to Shining at this point," Ai said finally. He watched as rain drops began to drizzle down the glass. "Although I am not certain what will become of me. I was created to be an idol, after all. I know nothing else."

The others were softened by his apparent show of dedication - but of course he meant it in his literal fashion. His programming had no other function other than for him to be a flawless, successful idol. Without that objective, he was simply a silicon bag of assorted alloys and electric circuits. His inner parts could be used for scrap metal, or recycled to build a new artificial intelligence with an entirely different function. For some reason, the thought caused sparks to run up and down Ai's connections, resulting in his tumbling to the floor immobilized.

"Ai-chan!"

"Mikaze-senpai!"

"Oi, Ai!"

"Ai-Ai!"

Natsuki, Syo and Reiji rushed to pull the younger boy up by the underarms and sit him down on the sofa. He was as heavy and lifeless as a marionette doll.

"He had a crisis," Reiji mused. "I've never seen him like this before."

"Poor Ai-chan..." Natsuki agreed. Ai soon sat up cautiously, clutching his head, and Syo reacted by punching the back of the chair.

"Damnit, Ai! Don't worry us like this!" he yelled, though the edge in his voice was softened considerably. It annoyed Ai how much the others would fuss over him like a human child, when he was neither, especially since Natsuki and Syo had experience with him recovering from malfunctions. But before Ai could retort, a booming laughter suddenly echoed through the room, vibrating in everyone's stomachs and buffeting their hair.

"Could it be - " Syo started, frowning. Natsuki's mouth fell open slightly.

"Shining," he breathed. The window burst open at that moment, then a grappling hook latched onto the window sill. A few seconds later, President Saotome of the Shining Agency leaped into the room.

"Ehuehuehuehue, so I've heard the rrrrrrumors," he purred. "Mister Mikaze, Miss Hagiwara, and Mister Kotobuki," he listed off, counting each on his fingers, "caught in a," - his sunglasses glinted in the light - "SITUAESHUN!" Whirling around, he rubbed his chin. "BUTTUH," he spat, "I am NOTTU WORRIED."

"You're not?" Syo questioned.

"Nononononononono, no!" he replied. "BECAUZU, Mister Mikaze, Miss Hagiwara and Mister Kotobuki were not caught in an awkward SITUAESHUN. _Nonononononono_. They were practicing their roles for a NEW HITTU MUSIKARU!" Shining flipped backwards into Ai's empty swivel chair, landing perfectly seated on top of it.

"A new hit musical?" Natsuki asked. He blinked. "Wait, so you're not concerned about them maybe - "

"Natsuki," Syo warned through gritted teeth. Shining chuckled from his belly, spinning wildly about in the chair.

"MAYBEEE...breaking the 'rrrromance is forrrrrbidden' rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrule?" He immediately stopped spinning. "Nonononono. BECAUZU, you see, Mister Mikaze is INCAPABARU of falling in love. I am NEVER WORRIED about Mister Mikaze." They all stared at the president in shock.

"So, Ai-Ai, Yukipo and I are shooting a musical movie?" Reiji guessed, eyes flicking to Ai to gauge his reaction. "This could be interesting~."

"CORRECUTO, Mister Kotobuki! I have already arranged it with President Takagi of 765Pro. Shooting begins in three days, and your scripts are being sent to you AS WE SPEAK!" Shining walked backwards to the window, grinning. "SAYONARA and GOODO EVENINGURU!" With that, he dove out of the window backwards with a wire zipping after him. He then bounced up and down outside the window several times before releasing his parachute and floating down to the city below.

"So we are filming a movie." Ai was the first to speak up after the whirlwind of Saotome Shining passed. His partner grinned.

"Seems like it, Ai-Ai. I look forward to it," Reiji replied. "Though you'll have to tell me the magic words to help me soothe Yukipo's fears~." Ai slowly got to his feet to face the older man.

"Dress up as a girl," he deadpanned, making Reiji laugh.

"Eh? Is Ai-Ai developing a sense of humor?"

"No, he's probably being completely serious," Syo responded for his senior. Then he sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "That was a close call, though. Damn." Ai nodded.

"There was an eighty-percent chance that it would have ended badly," he recalled calculating.

"Shining was pretty harsh about Ai-Ai's love life," Reiji added, to which Ai examined his cuticles apathetically.

"That is fine. Idols are not allowed such things, as you know very well." Thunder cracked overhead, causing Haruka to jump and the males around her rushing to ensure she was not badly shaken. After insisting she was fine, the cyan-haired idol walked towards his computer and sat down, lifting his knees up and cradling them with his left arm whilst his right hand moved the mouse. The rest of the group merely dispersed to their own duties and activities.

A surge suddenly struck through Ai's circuits from inside his chest, causing him to gasp. Lightning flashed outside in synchronization with this glitch and lit up his pale face. He suffered silently through the sudden convulsion until it released him.

 _I have to see the Professor,_ he decided internally.

* * *

"A musical, huh?"

The sky was gray as Yukiho strolled along the streets of the district, flanked by her best friends Makoto and Haruka. It was their off-day, so they had been out cafe-hopping, trying different pastries and sipping coffee. The demure girl herself ordered a green tea at the last shop before they decided to simply take a stroll in the evening air for the end of their day together. She blew into her cup as she glanced at Makoto, and took a sip before replying.

"Yeah. Saotome-shachou called up Takagi-shachou and arranged it soon after the magazine with our photo shoot was released. They said they were impressed by..." Yukiho blushed "...our chemistry. Then they knew they had to act quickly after the scandalous photo, so they announced the new joint-agency movie." Makoto whistled low.

"Those men don't waste any time," she remarked. "Isn't it kind of a rush to start shooting so soon, though? It takes at least a week to hire all the cameramen, the director, the editors, the sound artists, the composers, the choreographers, and then building the sets, not to mention the writers need time to make a script, plus you need to rehearse a few times before shooting..."

"Well, they wanted to make it seem like the movie was planned all along so that it made sense for Ai-kun, Kotobuki-san and I to already be rehearsing," Yukiho reflected. Haruka suddenly stopped them, grabbing Yukiho's upperarm.

"Yukiho-chan, this is your first time acting in a movie without any of us, isn't it?" she threw in, turning her forest green eyes to look at her friend.

"And with at least two guys to boot," Makoto realized, eyebrows furrowing in concern. "Will you be alright?" Yukiho lowered her head, studying the concrete below their feet.

"It would be a lie to say I'm not nervous," she admitted. Her hair floated in the breeze as she tilted her head back up to gaze at the overcast sky. "And yet, this tension inside of me...it's kind of exciting. It's loud, roaring in my ears. It doesn't let me shut it out, but it draws me in. I am enchanted by it." Yukiho clasped her hands together as if in prayer, closing her eyes to relish the sensation. She listened for her heartbeat drumming in her ears.

Makoto and Haruka exchanged glances, encouraging smiles spreading out over their faces.

"That's wonderful, Yukiho!" Makoto exclaimed, bouncing on her heels.

"That was really poetic," Haruka added. Yukiho let her hands fall to her sides, eyes widening as a pink tinge scribbled across her cheeks.

"P-Poetic? Um, thank you," she replied sheepishly. She then mumbled to herself, "I will...write it in my notebook."

"Huh?" Makoto queried. "Did you say something, Yukiho?" Yukiho shook her head quickly.

"N-nothing!" she replied. Her idol profile stated that she loved to write poetry, but she had never actually let anyone sample her work before, not even Makoto. It was very personal for her, making bare the rawest, innermost parts of herself; she vowed to only reveal her poetry to someone close enough to be 'one' with her, and Makoto or Haruka or any of the other girls in her agency simply did not fit the bill. Therefore, she tried to bring as little attention to her hobby as possible, but sometimes it slipped out.

"Isn't the musical going to be a love story?" Makoto asked. "Based on The Little Mermaid? Ohh, it'll be so cute!" Yukiho's face flushed.

"Yukiho-chan, are you sure you'll be okay acting like that with a guy?" Haruka interjected. "Ai-kun might have to kiss you." Makoto grinned.

" _Do you want to be driven insane with the love of a Poison Kiss?_ " Yukiho's best friend joked, nudging her in the rib. The caramel-eyed idol shrieked, flailing her arms around in embarrassment.

"S-stop it, guys!" she shrilled, tears forming in her eyes as her cheeks became a deeper red. "I-I-I'll have to find a way to h-handle it somehow!" Her friends giggled.

"Don't worry, Yukiho-chan, we'll support you," Haruka assured her. Makoto nodded, throwing her arms around their shoulders.

"Yeah, I was just teasing," she admitted.

Makoto and Yukiho suddenly screamed at a blast of thunder that rocked the sky. They latched onto each other instantly for support while Haruka sighed.

"A thunderstorm? That really puts a dent in our plans," she stated. Grabbing her friends' hands, she decided, "Let's go find some shelter. If the storm doesn't pass soon, we'll call for a cab." Makoto and Yukiho gulped simultaneously, but nodded.

They began to run together with joined hands, Haruka leading the way - only it wasn't three seconds before the clumsy idol tripped over her own feet, sending them all tumbling to the pavement. Yukiho, the last in line, was thrown over the curb onto the side of the street. Droplets of rain transformed into sharp shards of water that needled them from above as they rubbed their knees.

"Ah, I'm sorry, guys," Haruka said. "I probably should have let Makoto-chan go ahead first."

"It's okay, Haruka," Makoto assured her with a small laugh. "We probably would have gotten soaked anyway. Tripping was just a slight - " A high-pitched scream interrupted her.

"Yukiho-chan!" Haruka shrieked, the light leaving her eyes.

"Yukiho!" Makoto shouted.

The squeals of the wheels on a limousine mingled with their cries as a blinding light illuminated Yukiho's trembling, crouched figure. Makoto raced to her with Haruka following suit.

Yukiho sobbed quietly as she held her head in her hands; the car's bumper was within a few centimeters of her head. Her friends knelt down on either side of her, patting her back. Haruka's eyes teared up at the sight of her shaken, mousy friend.

"I'm so sorry, Yukiho-chan!" she cried. "It's because of my stupid clumsiness..."

"H-Haruka-chan, stop!" Yukiho protested. Haruka fell silent. The coffee-haired girl's mouth formed into a tearful smile. "I-I'm okay, I p-promise. I'm not hurt, s-so you don't need to be hard on yourself. I-I should have watched where I fell."

"Yukiho-chan, that's - " Haruka began to object. Yukiho shook her head.

"Please, Haruka-chan. I really am fine." Makoto released a large, furious huff.

"It's the fault of that stupid driver!" She shook her hand that she clenched into a fist at the windshield. "Hey! Who the hell drives that fast in weather like this?! Asshole! Come out here and show yourself!"

Almost immediately as she spoke, one of the doors cracked open, and a black combat boot crunched onto the wet pavement. Lightning flashed as a tall silhouette stepped into the rain, shining against spiky silver hair and chilling mismatched eyes.

"You called?" a deep, rough voice questioned in a challenging tone. Yukiho screamed again.

"A-a-a-a-a g-g-guy!" Makoto leaped to her feet in one swift motion.

"Yeah, I was talkin' to you, asshole!" she accused, poking a finger out at him. "What makes you think you're so important to drive around like you own the place?" The man chuckled lowly.

"I like your spirit - for a girl," he commented. As he approached further, a nearby streetlight cast away the shadows around his appearance. His angular eyes narrowed. "But you're the ones playing in the street like sitting ducks. And you made me come out in the rain."

Yukiho began muttering jumbled phrases to herself, and were it not for the rain, one would be able to see the sweat pouring down her face. The stranger's gaze landed on her.

"You." Yukiho yelped. "What the hell is your problem?" Makoto sprinted up to the young man and jabbed a finger into his chest.

"She's the one you almost ran over!" she shouted indignantly. "If she weren't deathly afraid of men - especially rude men like you - I would demand you apologize to her personally!"

"Afraid of men?" he asked incredulously, his eyebrows furrowing.

"You will have to forgive my fellow group member," a smoother baritone voice spoke up. A dapper young man with long blond hair and all the strong elegance of a thoroughbred stallion had emerged from the opposite side of the limo, holding a tasteful umbrella over his head. "He is ever-so insensitive."

"E-eh?! Another m-man?!" Yukiho whimpered. Haruka patted her shoulder soothingly while Makoto whirled around to face the new potential threat.

"It's not my fault if these girls are stupid," the silver-haired man retorted, glaring at the blue-eyed gentleman.

"Stupid sees as stupid is."

"Tch!"

The blond swept his frosty gaze over the girls with a deep frown.

"My name is Camus," he introduced, "and my coarse companion is Kurosaki Ranmaru." The girls blinked at him as his pale eyes finally settled on Yukiho, who shrunk back from his frigid stare. "You are Hagiwara Yukiho, as I recall." The shy idol gasped.

"H-how do you know my n-name?" she asked feebly. Camus smirked, running a hand through his mane, which was as full as his air of superiority.

"You were in that scandalous photo shoot with Mikaze." Yukiho grimaced at the reminder; how little he must have thought of her. "He and I are part of the idol unit Quartet Night, along with this simple plebeian." He gestured to Ranmaru gracefully with his right arm, whilst the punk idol growled at him.

"You - "

"Am I wrong?" Camus cut him off impatiently, breaking some of his poise. "You have been standing here for five minutes without accomplishing anything. These girls still have not moved from the road and now you are going to wet the car seats. This is entirely unacceptable." Ranmaru dug his nails into his palms, cracking his neck and curling his lip.

"Ah, about that!" Haruka exclaimed, likely to prevent the circumstances from escalating. They glanced at her briefly. "We'll be going on our way now." The darker brunette tugged Yukiho up by the hand as she stood, beckoning to Makoto with her other. "So sorry for inconveniencing you." She then bowed low, pulling Yukiho down with her.

But they only had their toes pointed to turn before they were stopped again.

"Wait," Ranmaru said through gritted teeth. He cocked his head towards the car, closing his eyes. "Get in." The thunder grumbled overhead.

"E-E-EH?!" Yukiho stammered.

"Really?" Haruka breathed.

" _Kurosaki_ ," Camus warned. Makoto stomped her foot, rounding on the temperamental man.

"What makes you think we want to get into the car with you?" she demanded. Ranmaru cursed.

"Don't make this difficult, idiot. Otherwise you'll be walking in the rain, or sitting for an hour in a cafe waiting for someone else to pick you up."

"Makoto-chan, he has a point," Haruka admitted, pleading her tomboy friend with her clear green eyes. Yukiho sneezed next to her just as she was about to protest.

"Yukiho?" Makoto asked, concerned. Yukiho glanced between the two men, hugging herself for warmth and shivering.

"I-I'm really n-nervous right now, but I would l-like to accept their kindness. Maybe i-i-it would help me overcome my f-fears. Also," Yukiho sneezed again, "I'm r-really c-c-cold." Haruka and Makoto embraced their friend, creating friction on her upper arms to help heat her up.

"I suppose it would look badly on Quartet Night if we were to shut these ladies out in the rain," Camus decided sternly, though reluctant. "We have towels in the car. Come." He stretched his hand out towards Yukiho, and she flinched, but, turning her head away, she managed to reach out and take it, with Haruka and Makoto guarding her as she was ushered into the car. Ranmaru entered the car via the other door and snatched a pile of towels from beneath the seats. He tossed one over Yukiho's head and handed the rest to her friends, keeping one for himself. Camus, who made use of an umbrella, did not require drying.

"Where to?" the driver asked after rolling down the window that separated the front of the limo from the back seats. Ranmaru scowled at the group of girls across from him and Camus, roughly scraping his towel over his head. Haruka took this as a signal to speak.

"765 Production office, please," she requested politely. Ranmaru grunted.

"Drop us off at the dorms, first," he ordered. At Makoto's glower, he asked, "What do you want, woman? 765Pro is further away from our dorms. I'm not sitting around in the car with you all the way just to turn back."

"Tch," Makoto spat, turning away and crossing her arms. Yukiho sighed heavily from her position. She sat with her towel veiled over her face so that she wouldn't have to look at the men opposite her, especially not the volatile Ranmaru. As it was, she was in a virtual catatonic state, coupled with regular hot flashes.

"Yukiho-chan, you're burning up!" Haruka exclaimed, feeling her forehead under the towel.

"A-am I?" she asked nasally. She heaved a cough.

"Stay under that towel. I can't afford to catch a cold," Ranmaru told her.

"Aww, afraid of a little fever?" Makoto cooed in a mocking tone.

"No, you - " Ranmaru was interrupted by the faint sound of a bass riffing in the background. Snorting, he pulled out his phone. "Hm? Ugh, Reiji, what do you want?"

" _Ran-Ran!_ " the brunet's cheerful tone burst through the speakers. " _You and Myu-chan are running late, which isn't like you. I'm getting bored in this weather and Ai-Ai won't talk to me~._ "

"And you think we will?" Ranmaru scoffed. "Anyway, we got sidetracked."

" _Sidetracked?_ " The silver-haired idol sighed, turning his phone's screen to face the girls. Yukiho peeked out from her towel and squeaked when she saw Reiji on the screen face-timing. " _Ah, so you're entertaining some girls...wait, you're entertaining some girls?! Ran-Ran; Myu-chan; you dogs! I love it!_ "

"Shut the hell up, you stinking pervert," Ranmaru hissed. "We're not entertaining anyone. We almost ran them over because they were sitting in the street. The weather's bad, so we decided to give them a ride."

" _Isn't that nice of you, Ran-Ran? Well, I'm glad you're not entertaining them, because Yukipo has already been claimed by Ai-Ai and he would be very upset with you~._ "

" _Claimed? If you mean as a test subject, then yes._ " A neutral voice could be heard through the speaker. Makoto's eyes widened at her friend, and she matched her expression, feeling that lion's roar of adrenaline rising up within her. _Ai-kun_ , Yukiho thought with a small smile.

After their first meeting, Yukiho decided that Ai wasn't at all frightening as she made him out to be. He told her the truth about who he was after lying to her, even though he didn't have to, and growing accustomed to him in a situation where she didn't have to think about his gender helped tremendously. In fact, if she could take it a step further, he was kind of her third lifeline right now, in a car with such a tense atmosphere.

She didn't dare speak to him, however, as she was still in the presence of particularly scary men, including one that resembled a silver wolf. While Yukiho took an internal vow of silence, Makoto decided to represent her in front of the four males.

"Hey, who the hell is this guy?" the tomboy growled. "Yukiho isn't anybody's property!"

" _Hehe, you've landed a feisty one, too~. Please accept my apologies, Princess Makorin, I didn't mean to offend,_ " Reiji replied, winking at her. Makoto immediately fell back in her seat, blushing.

"P- _princess_?" she echoed. "W-well...I guess I accept." The tomboy giggled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "And he knows my name, too, eheheh~." Reiji narrowed his eyes at Yukiho.

" _Say, what's wrong with Yukipo?_ " They all turned their gaze to the feverish girl. Even Ai entered the camera frame on Ranmaru's phone to inspect her.

" _Flu,_ " the cyan-haired idol stated upon assessing her condition from his vantage point. Yukiho sniffled. She kept her eyes locked onto Ai to keep her anxiety at bay. She decided that she wasn't afraid of him after their first meeting.

" _Flu?_ " Reiji repeated. " _That's no good! It will take you a while to get to your office, and you won't have a good enough resting space there._ " A furious blush spread across Yukiho's face as all the occupants in the car and on Ranmaru's phone stared at her with mixed levels of concern.

"U-um, please d-don't worry about me, everyone. I'll be f-fine - a-ah!" Her throat suddenly dried completely, causing her voice to crack. Haruka and Makoto panicked as violent coughs shoved their way out of her lungs.

"She needs water!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Lots of fluids!" Makoto added. Ranmaru, shifting uncomfortably, pulled out his half-empty water bottle.

"It's not much, but here," he offered. Yukiho gulped.

"C-can you w-wipe the top of it?" Ranmaru furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Yukiho, mistaking his expression for anger, huddled back into her seat. He blinked.

"Why?" he asked incredulously, half frowning. Reiji laughed through the phone.

" _Silly Ran-Ran! Don't you know a water bottle shared is an indirect kiss?_ " he teased. Ranmaru glowered and crushed the empty part of the bottle in his fist.

"That's a stupid rule," he growled. "Just drink the damn thing." Yukiho squealed, raising her hands in defense.

"Y-y-yes, s-s-s-sorry!" Makoto stood as Ranmaru tossed the water bottle into Yukiho's lap.

"Why are you being so rude to her?" she demanded. Yukiho placed her hands over her ears.

"It isn't my fault if she's a crybaby," the rocker snorted. "She needs to learn to fend for herself." The coffee-haired girl winced.

" _Sheesh, Ran-Ran._ You _need to learn how to talk to girls,_ " Reiji quipped as Makoto balled her hands into fists, wagging his index finger.

"Do you wanna start a fight?!" the tomboy challenged. Yukiho shook her head and hands frantically. Ranmaru smirked at that.

"A girl can't take a punch." The sick girl's stomach filled with dread at the suggestion.

"Just give me all you got and watch me!" _Stop!_ Yukiho locked eyes with Ai on Ranmaru's phone, and he wrinkled his nose.

" _You are acting very illogically._ " Everyone paused at the interjection of his monotonous voice, whose neutrality seemed to slice through the flying emotions. Reiji allowed Ai to take up more space on the screen. " _You mean to help Yukiho, and yet you are getting caught up in your own battles. I do not understand this. Choose one or the other; you cannot do both with any high rates of success._ " The group fell into a collective silence, with Makoto plopping back down on her seat.

"That was very sensible, Ai-Ai," Reiji complimented.

" _Sensible? What do you mean? They were being inconsistent and irrational, failing at what they were attempting to accomplish. It was impossible to accept._ " Yukiho smiled at this, feeling her anxiety ebb, and so she decided to wipe the water bottle herself before drinking the rest of it.

" _Hah? What's this? The mouse smiles?_ " Reiji's face blotted out Ai's from the face-timing window as he moved closer to more clearly see the image. Blood immediately rushed to Yukiho's cheeks and she covered her face with her towel again.

"Um, th-thank you all for your concern," she stuttered. "I-I don't feel like I-I deserve this much k-kindness. B-but I would like it if you'd...stop fighting." They all blinked at her, Makoto with a mixture of guilt, Haruka and Reiji with plain concern, Camus and Ai with indifference and Ranmaru with what looked to be discomfort. The group as a whole was uncertain over what to say to the meek girl.

"Just drink your water," Ranmaru finally huffed, glaring out the window. It earned him a glare from Makoto.

"I-I-I f-finished it," Yukiho stammered, hoping not to spark anymore conflict. She even held up the empty bottle as proof. The short-tempered young man glanced at her, eyes returning to normal.

"Oh," he replied.

The rain pattering against the roof of the limousine soon replaced the sound of conversation once Ranmaru wrapped up the open phone call with Reiji ("You're wasting the minutes on my phone," he informed him gruffly before turning it off; Reiji could be heard whining that it was only Skype just before he was interrupted). The storm raged on with lightning piercing the sky in jagged patterns while the thunder cracked sporadically, making Makoto and Yukiho jump every now and then.

Camus and Ranmaru busied themselves on their phones as the girls mainly watched the city pass by outside the windows. Ranmaru shut everyone out with his large, expensive headphones.

Yukiho was soon breathing slowly and deeply, fallen into sleep after having been in a bit of a stupor. Her cheeks were bright red with fever, and sweat drizzled from her forehead like the rain on the window. Occasionally she would choke while breathing and begin a small coughing fit, but when her lungs calmed again, she remained fast asleep, clutching her towel as a pillow.

Makoto glanced at her childhood friend out of the corner of her eye. All of a sudden, she sputtered.

"Wait, how are we going to get Yukiho home?"

"Eh?" Haruka responded. Camus slit his eyes at Makoto, annoyed by the disturbance, while Ranmaru removed one of his headphones.

"Did you say something?" the heterochromic idol demanded. For once, Makoto didn't react negatively.

"It's Yukiho! We have to take her home in her condition, but, um..." Haruka instantly caught on.

"We don't know where she lives," the brunette finished for her. Makoto nodded and Ranmaru scoffed at them.

"What do you mean you don't know where your own friend lives?"

"Her dad doesn't want anyone knowing the location of their house. He's extremely secretive and strict. So not even Yukiho's friends can know where they live. That's why she usually gets picked up by a chauffeur."

"Then call her chauffeur," Ranmaru said, flicking his hand in dismissal.

"Unless you don't know her chauffeur's number, either," Camus guessed dryly. At their silence, he said, "I see. She must come from a prestigious line. I never would have suspected it."

"That's because Yukiho doesn't like to get involved with her father's dealings," Haruka explained. "She grew up hiding in her own house because her father's disciples would be everywhere, and they frightened her." Ranmaru tossed his headset to the side.

"I don't like the sound of that," he mused aloud, leaning back against his seat and crossing his arms. "This means her dad could be a dangerous man."

"He never liked her being an idol in the first place," Makoto said reluctantly. She banged her head on her headrest. "Ugh, why didn't we think of this? Now she might get in trouble, but she needs to rest somewhere in a proper bed. My house doesn't have any guest rooms and I only have a single bed in my room. I could take the couch, but I don't think a single bed would be good enough for Yukiho."

"My house is very far; two hours away from the next train station. It would be bad to put Yukiho-chan through that long on just a train," Haruka added. The car returned to silence as everyone mulled over this.

"The Shining Master Course dorms," Ranmaru suggested finally. "The girls' dorms are all empty save for Haruka's. Yukiho wouldn't be disturbed, and she would get enough space for herself to rest. The beds are pretty big - at least from what I know based on the guys' rooms."

"And Nanami would be available to serve Hagiwara if needed, once we tell her of the situation," Camus supplied.

"Ah, is 'Nanami' a nice person?" Makoto queried. Ranmaru exchanged a knowing glance with Camus.

"That doesn't really begin to describe it," Ranmaru snorted.

"She is a good servant, I suppose," Camus huffed. "Hagiwara could wake her up at an ungodly hour and she would wait on her from head to toe."

"That's more than we could ask for!" Haruka exclaimed, beaming.

"Yeah, that's pretty miraculous given the circumstances," Makoto breathed in relief.

"Thank you so much," the female idols said in unison, bowing their heads. Meanwhile, Yukiho turned in her sleep, mumbling something that sounded like, "But why does he talk like that...?" Ranmaru muttered about there being nothing to it, whilst Camus merely turned back to his reading, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Thunder crackled once more overhead, but neither of them batted an eye, for their matters for the night had been settled.

* * *

Yukiho awoke to the warmth of sunlight streaming down on her flushed cheeks and the taste of steaming green tea in the air. Her muscles ached with sickness, though they were cushioned by a soft mattress and a silk comforter. She slowly lifted her pounding head, coughing.

The coffee-haired girl's mind, sticky with sleep, could focus very little on any one thought, and this was not aided by her blistering headache. She tried to remember what she ate yesterday, but only in vain, thus she glanced around her room with glazed eyes, allowing a few things to come to her groggy attention, such as, _When did my room get painted pink? That desk shouldn't be there. Why is my bed facing north? Wasn't my window smaller than that?_

The fog in her mind slowly dispersed as everything came full circle. Yukiho sat up hastily, tossing her head right and left. She sneezed.

 _This isn't my bedroom,_ she thought.

Her eyes widened.

 _This isn't my bedroom!_

Then Yukiho opened her mouth to perform what she knew to do in these situations: scream until her face turned a lovely shade of violet. Quick footsteps padded down the hallway, growing louder as they neared. In turn, her wailing increased in volume until she was met with the sight of a pink-haired girl at her door. She stopped screaming when she was attacked by an onslaught of coughs, her throat flaring in protest of their abuse.

"Hagiwara-san!" the other girl exclaimed. "Is something the matter?"

"Wh-wh-where am I? And wh-wh-who are you?" Yukiho rasped, pulling her sheets to her chest despite donning pajamas (that weren't hers either, which increased her anxiety even further) that already provided her with sufficient coverage. The stranger released a large breath, apparently relieved.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for not introducing myself. Everything was decided while you were asleep, you see," she replied in a soft, high-pitched voice that almost rivaled that of the mousy idol. The yellow-eyed girl bowed deeply. "My name is Nanami Haruka. I am STARISH's composer and I occupy the dorm next to yours. These are the Master Course facilities for Shining Agency and its rising idols, studying under their seniors."

"Master Course facilities?" Yukiho repeated, losing some of her stutter. "S-STARISH? Um, Haruka-san, why am I here?" She coughed lightly into her pajama sleeve.

"You caught a flu while you were out with your friends due to the rain. Then Camus-senpai and Kurosaki-senpai offered you a ride and you fell asleep. They didn't know where you lived, though, so they decided to let you sleep in the girls' dorms here to recover." Haruka tapped her chin, staring up at the ceiling for a moment as if to recall something. After a few seconds, she glanced back at Yukiho. "Oh, and they told me to tell you that Kikuchi-san and Amami-san were the ones who carried you up here together." Yukiho blew a sigh of relief. Her first concern had been _why_ she was there, the consequent one being how she got there.

"O-oh, thank you," she murmured. "See, um, I'm afraid of m-men, so that must be why, but - i-it was really nice of them to do that for me. I'm so sorry to trouble you, Haruka-san, and everyone else." Haruka shook her head with a closed-eyes smile.

"It's no trouble at all!" she insisted. "You're sick, so it was the right thing to do. Everyone needs to be cared for when they're sick." Yukiho's eyebrows slanted uncertainly. Haruka appeared to resemble the Haruka she knew as she spoke. _Their names sound similar too. Amami, Nanami..._ Regardless, she let this Haruka's kindness fly past her head, deciding instead to cling to her familiar anxiety.

"Th-that may be true, b-but I'm always causing too much trouble for people. I made K-Kurosaki-san give me his water bottle and my friends had to carry me, a-and you probably had to lend me your pajamas. It m-must have been such a b-bother." The timid girl lowered her head with red shame, willing the earth to swallow her beneath its crust.

"That's not true!" Haruka protested. "Everyone helped you out because they wanted to, out of the goodness of their hearts. Even if you say you don't deserve it, kindness has nothing to do with people deserving it, but about respect for their humanity. Otherwise, it wouldn't be considered 'kindness.'" Yukiho raised her head in surprise.

"If you s-say so," she replied. She averted her eyes to the night table next to her bed, where a floral china tea set was spread out, white steam hissing from the pot. Her eyes widened. "U-um, Haruka-san, is that tea for me?" The corners of Haruka's mouth turned up as she nodded.

"It sure is," she replied, tilting her head happily. "Hijirikawa-san helped me to make it. Ah, and Shinomiya-san wanted to make you breakfast, but Syo-kun told him not to. I'm not sure why..." Yukiho bobbed her head silently as she poured herself some tea, feeling guilty that these men went to so much trouble when she wouldn't be able to thank them without disturbing them with her anxiety.

"So, um, do I go downstairs to get myself something to eat?" the idol asked.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to be moving around?" Haruka answered with a question of her own. Yukiho nodded.

"I don't feel comfortable staying in bed when I'm sick. Otou-san always told me that the best way to recover is to keep yourself moving, so I'm used to doing that. Also, I don't want to burden you anymore by serving me, even if it is out of your own kindness." Haruka simply giggled at this as Yukiho pulled on the robe from her bed over her long-sleeved pajamas, stepping into a pair of house slippers. The idol blinked at her. "E-ehh? Did - did I s-say something weird?" Haruka shook her head.

"No. It's just that I noticed most idols have the same kind of energy in them. I see the same motivation in you that I see in STARISH and Quartet Night. It's amazing, really." Yukiho blushed.

"I-I don't know if I can compare to Quartet Night or STARISH, but - thank you."

"You're welcome."

Yukiho held her stomach as she walked down the hall towards the stairs, feeling a mixture of hunger as well as nausea, while Haruka returned to her own room. The coffee-haired idol moved down the stairs slowly, dragging her robe on the carpet.

The hallway was quiet as she looked around for the kitchen, and upon finding it, she noticed a carton of eggs was already out, left open on the island counter. Yukiho glanced left and right, but there was no person in sight. She figured they had breakfast early and decided to keep the package open for other people to use. _I might as well make eggs, then._

Yukiho broke a couple of eggs into the pan, which was already layered with a film of oil, and turned on the oven. She wondered how late in the morning it was, considering all she could hear was the popping of her eggs as they fried. It was no matter; she enjoyed the quiet.

"Mmmm! It smells like someone already beat me to cooking."

Yukiho dropped her spatula.

"Ugh, good, because it actually smells edible."

 _I..._

"Eh? Do we have a visitor?"

 _...spoke..._

"Oi, who are you?"

 _...too soon..._

Yukiho's fingers twitched. She gasped as a hand touched her back and she twisted around like a trapped animal. Two apple-green eyes gazed down at her from high up above. _S-so tall..._

"Ah! She's so cute!" Yukiho screamed as she was abruptly embraced. The tall young man lifted her up off her feet as he squeezed her.

"H-hey, Natsuki, you can't just hug strangers like that!" A shorter male worked for a minute to extract Yukiho from Natsuki's arms, but at this point panic had already set in for her.

"Ehehe, sorry. She's just so cute like Haru-chan! And her nose is all red like Rudolph-chan!" Yukiho squeaked as the shorter blond placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry about him. Wait, you're that Yukiho girl that got sick last night, right? You're working with Ai in that new movie. I'm Syo, and he's Natsuki."

Their faces morphed into those of two black demons cackling at her under her fear-shrouded vision. Tears blurred her eyes as she turned to run.

"I-I-I'm s-so s-s-s-sorry!" she shrieked as she went. Syo and Natsuki stared after her in amazement.

"So, I know Ai told us she has a fear of men, but I didn't think..." Syo remarked, scratching his head.

"Somehow it makes her endearing...now I want to hug her even more!" Natsuki exclaimed. Syo immediately moved to constrain him.

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" he yelled. Meanwhile, Yukiho bumped into something in her attempt to escape, falling back to the floor as a result. She looked up slowly to see two more young men towering over her.

"What do we have here?" the one with long, strawberry blond hair queried. He bent down to Yukiho's height. "A little mouse?" _A little mouse?_ Unpleasant flashbacks pranced mockingly through Yukiho's head.

"Jinguji," the other one, with strictly cut, straight blue hair warned. "Don't mess with her. She is Hagiwara Yukiho-san, Mikaze-senpai's acting partner. Last night Kurosaki-senpai told us that she was staying in the girls' dorm because she is sick and had nowhere else to go."

"It's not like I'm stealing her away; I'm just playing," the man cooed, sliding his finger under Yukiho's chin. "Did I make you faint, Little Mouse?" He jumped slightly when Yukiho screamed, out of fear rather than delight. She continued to cry as she desperately crawled away on her hands and knees towards the second exit. "Well, that's not usually the reaction I get."

"Apparently she has also a fear of men."

"I see."

"T-too m-m-many m-m-m-men," Yukiho mumbled. Her hand stopped on a black dress shoe. _Please, God..._

"Oh, hello." Her eyes traveled upwards with dread. She froze at the sight of not two, but three additional men, one with bright red (to her it looked like blood) hair, another with black hair, and the other, whose foot she was currently touching, with his dark blue-black hair styled into spikes.

"Hey! It's Hagiwara Yukiho!" The redhead waved. "I'm Ittoki Otoya, nice to finally meet - " Yukiho continued to scream, dropped to her stomach and rolled away to the middle of the kitchen, smacking into the counter. "Eh?"

The girl curled herself into the fetal position on the floor, tremors running through her body as she sobbed and sneezed. _God, please help me..._ she thought as her vision swam. _I'll be good, I promise! Just get me out of here!_

"So that's why we were told not to go upstairs," Otoya realized aloud.

"She's afraid of men," the dark blue-haired teenager stated.

"She is also afraid of dogs, bugs, the dark, ghost stories, thunderstorms, heights, and Ranmaru."

Yukiho's eyes flashed at the presence of a new voice.

"What? I'm already a man, so why am I singled out personally?"

 _There really is a God!_

The kitchen fell silent immediately as Yukiho leaped to her feet and started running towards the other entrance, blocking out the rest of them in her tunnel vision.

"AI-KUN!"

* * *

 **A/N: Maaaaybe a little of a cliffhanger. But yay, now Yukiho's met the full gang! I don't know if I'm super happy with this chapter, but it's there, and I might fix it later or something, but it's there.**

 **So I said I was going to update sooner, but, yeah, funny thing, my tablet - which had all six chapters that I wrote over July - crashed on me. The battery died. And I'm not even using that as an excuse, because normally I just blame my general laziness/business (weird combination huh) on not updating my stories. But THIS, no, this was supposed to be different, THIS was the longest I've ever written for any story, ever, and it had to go down the drain. Ah well. Que sera sera. Actually, this chapter would have gone down the drain too if I hadn't remembered sending it to my friend to look over, so I found it in my drafts. Yay for that!**

 **So now I'm not sure when I'll be updating next. I'm in my senior year of high school now, and between cramming for good enough grades for a scholarship, piano lessons and recitals, and work, there's not much time for me to really...well, breathe. But I'll try to write in my down periods whenever I can. I still have enough inspiration and knowledge of where I was going with this story to get something done in the free time I have...just don't know when that will be.**

 **Lastly, it seems I've gotten some more reviews! Which is really surprising but also amazing because I didn't think a rare crossover pair like this would even make anyone interested in reading this story. But thank you so much! I am really grateful for the bit of feedback and just the knowledge that people are actually reading this and like it enough to comment.**

 **So, I'm hoping to maybe get some feedback this time around too - that'd be nice. Just because it's a long chapter and stretches my writing so much that I'm just kind of obsessing over whether the narrative flows or if added too much detail or not enough. Anyway, please review, positively or negatively.**


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